Have not compromised on ideology, need power to serve people: Ajit Pawar
Satara, Apr 19 (PTI): Maharashtra Deputy Chief Minister Ajit Pawar on Saturday said he has not compromised on ideology but asserted that one needs representation in power to serve people.
He was addressing a gathering in which Uday Undalkar, son of late Congress leader Vilaskaka Undalkar, joined the ruling Nationalist Congress Party.
"I haven't given up my ideology. To get development works done, one needs to have representation in power," Pawar said.
"In the next five years, we (government) plan to bring Rs 40 lakh crore investment in the state and generate employment for 50 lakh people. A total of 31 per cent of all foreign investment has come into Maharashtra," he said.
Asserting that Prime Minister Narendra Modi wants to make India a developed nation by 2047, the deputy CM said the Maharashtra government is committed to work for farmers and women.
The state government's flagship Ladki Bahin Yojana, under which women with an annual family income of less than Rs 2.5 lakh get Rs 1500 as monthly aid, will continue, Pawar reiterated.
He also said civic polls have not been held in the past three years, adding that the endeavour should to be to ensure maximum number of NCP corporators are elected.
Civic polls in several cities, including Mumbai, Pune, Thane, are due since early 2022.
Pawar split the Sharad Pawar-founded NCP in July 2023 and joined the then Eknath Shinde government.
In the 2024 assembly elections, NCP bagged 41 of the 57 seats it contested in alliance with BJP and Shiv Sena.
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CM Siddaramaiah alleges ‘criminal conspiracy’ in Sringeri recount, vows legal action
Bengaluru (PTI): Alleging a “criminal conspiracy” by BJP candidate D N Jeevaraj in the Sringeri Assembly poll recounting, Karnataka CM Siddaramaiah on Tuesday said the outcome was manipulated after valid postal ballot votes in favour of Congress leader T D Raje Gowda were tampered with during the recounting process.
Following a Karnataka High Court order on an election petition filed by Jeevaraj, challenging Raje Gowda’s election, the reverification and recounting were conducted on Saturday.
After the reverification and recount of postal ballots for the Sringeri Assembly constituency, votes polled in favour of Raje Gowda were reduced by 255, the returning officer said.
A report on the matter has been submitted to the Election Commission of India for further action, the officer added.
Congress leader Raje Gowda had won the 2023 Assembly polls from Sringeri by 201 votes, defeating his nearest rival Jeevaraj.
Addressing a press conference in Bengaluru, Siddaramaiah said the High Court had directed the recounting of postal ballots and that irregularities were noticed during the exercise conducted on May 2.
“This is a clear case of criminal conspiracy,” Siddaramaiah said, alleging that valid votes cast in favour of Raje Gowda were altered after being accepted by counting agents of all parties, including Congress, BJP, and JD(S).
He claimed that during the recounting of postal ballots, 255 votes were initially accepted as valid by all agents but were later tampered with by subordinate officials.
“There is a second mark on the votes polled in favour of Raje Gowda. They had accepted these as valid votes. Subsequently, another mark was made by officials. This is a clear case of criminal conspiracy,” he said.
When asked who was behind the alleged conspiracy, the CM replied, “It was hatched by Jeevaraj and others. It is planned.”
Siddaramaiah further alleged that the returning officer acted improperly by declaring the result despite the presence of an Election Commission observer during the recounting.
“Immediately after the counting, the returning officer announced the result. He should not have done so; this is against the law,” he said.
He pointed out that Raje Gowda had originally won by 201 votes, but after the recounting, the BJP candidate was declared the winner by 52 votes.
“The BJP has committed a criminal act of conspiracy. This is not vote chori but vote dacoity,” he alleged.
The CM said a police complaint had already been filed by Raje Gowda’s election agent, Sudhir Kumar, and emphasised the need for electoral integrity.
“We want transparency and free and fair elections. That is what our Constitution mandates,” he added.
Stating that the government would pursue legal remedies, Siddaramaiah said, “We are preparing an appeal challenging the returning officer’s announcement in a court of law.”
Responding to a separate query on elections in other states, the CM said there appeared to be an anti-incumbency factor in West Bengal, while results in Tamil Nadu were “surprising,” adding that Vijay’s party was emerging as the largest there.
Following the victory of party candidates in Bagalkote and Davanagere South, Siddaramaiah expressed confidence about future electoral prospects in Karnataka.
“Even in 2028, we will win the Assembly elections. We will come back,” the CM said.
Siddaramaiah added that he would order a forensic examination into the alleged tampering of postal ballots.
